BRASSO Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) I'm not bashing. I'm a huge Cavaliers fan but have yet to see them this year and what exactly is going on? Are they just dirty? All the factors listed so far are reasons. I might add another one: No Corps competes in a vaccum. They compete against other Corps. In this case the Corps around the Cavaliers are quite good this year as well. SCV, Bluecoats, Madison Scouts, Boston Crusaders, Phantom Regiment for example all have improved Corps over last year, imo. Where a few years ago a transitional year for The Cavaliers might find them in 3-4th place, with the improved talent levels and competitive improvement of those around them this year, the Cavaliers find themselves currently in the 7-9th position. Corps in 7th-10th spot in DCI are much better than in previous era's. Corps in the 7th-10th range generally have between 70-80 brass which include the minimum 14 to as many as 20 contra basses. Such Corps would have been competing in the top 6 range not all that long ago. Some very good Corps that are large and with well crafted shows will not even make Finals this year because of the competition they have. Edited July 24, 2012 by BRASSO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CloudFuel Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 All the factors listed so far are reasons. I might add another one: No Corps competes in a vaccum. They compete against other Corps. In this case the Corps around the Cavaliers are quite good this year as well. SCV, Bluecoats, Madison Scouts, Boston Crusaders, Phantom Regiment for example all have improved Corps over last year, imo. Where a few years ago a transitional year for The Cavaliers might find them in 3-4th place, with the improved talent levels and competitive improvement of those around them this year, the Cavaliers find themselves currently in the 7-9th position. Corps in 7th-10th spot in DCI are much better than in previous era's. Corps in the 7th-10th range generally have between 70-80 brass which include the minimum 14 to as many as 20 contra basses. Such Corps would have been competing in the top 6 range not all that long ago. Some very good Corps that are large and with well crafted shows will not even make Finals this year because of the competition they have. Very good points, Brasso! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtown Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 They have made a ton of progress since I first saw it, impressive in it’s own way They are victims of their past success and their performance level isn’t there this year, maybe it’s all the changes keeping them dirty or maybe it who showed up last November Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Is Michael Gaines coming back next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitedawn Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I'm not bashing. I'm a huge Cavaliers fan but have yet to see them this year and what exactly is going on? Are they just dirty? Karma for acting like idiots back when retreat was a thing? JUST KIDDING, DCP. CALM DOWN. IT WAS A JOKE. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 No real criticism, just adding that I love their show this year - I found it engaging, accessible and just danged cool. mike 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdaddy Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Also, the concept of the show is extremely hard to get across. It's not as clear cut as 4 corners, Niagara Falls, 007, Machine etc etc etc. But, in my opinion, MUCH easier to sell than Mad World and XtraordinarY (which did well competitively). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ordsw24 Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) I haven n-o-t seen the show lately, but the drill really made me go hmmmm in spots (again, this is before any changes they may have made). In spots, it made little impact, and did not seem to fit with the music, and also was not complex or engaging enough -- in some parts of the show woefully not engaging enough. It w-a-s just not on par w/ top 6 corps' drill at the time imo, and I believe underlying structural design problems are very difficult to make up for in performance. Also, the music book is not as logical or well-thought out as in years' past imo either; it's not a tight, cohesive package this year but is rather disjunct in spots and somewhat disparate in terms of style and periods w/out being properly put in context to make sense or be tied together, at least not to *me*. I do not believe the theme or idea itself was necessarily a bad idea. It fits w/ many other Cavalier themes over the years imo... but it could have been approached a lot differently musically and thematically, though, as I see it. I personally (not a designer; not as talented as anyone out there for sure) would have explored the idea of both becoming famous overnight, as the theme implies, and just as or perhaps more importantly, explored the loss of this fame. I don't get any idea of loss in the show at all; the idea of being the center of attention and all the crazy mania it brings, and then being abandoned by the press and fans; that idea could have been developed more imo. On the other hand, perhaps doing this would have been more feasible and appropriate for a WGI show rather than drum corps show. Either way, I feel the theme is lightly introduced in the beginning, but not really developed further throughout the show in ways I could sense or clearly read. Again, I have not seen it for over a month so I may be totally wrong on every front based on changes they have made. I also hope they add more signature "wow" moments by finals, as another other poster in this thread suggested, to create more impact. This could really make a difference in GE and my reading of the show. I also expect their guard to rise from their current 9th place position. I would not have rejected the idea outright if someone had told me before the season began that Cavaliers would be 9th place in mid-July... certainly did not expect it; but it was not out of the realm of possibility... but I honestly, barring something major (scandal, major illnesses, etc.) would have never believed their guard would also be sitting in 9th place. I'm assuming they have made major changes and will clean up in the next few weeks and go up in the rankings by finals. Either way, I can't wait for Cavaliers 2013. They will have a major chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Edited July 24, 2012 by ordsw24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I will say that it does make 1976 Madison all the more impressive (90%+ re-write both music & drill mid-season, 2nd place at DCI). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersop Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 But, in my opinion, MUCH easier to sell than Mad World and XtraordinarY (which did well competitively). Correct, but it was a successful design team and staff that had been crafting and honing their skills for several years before they put those shows on the field. They had the foundation to explore a more complex concept and the design was there to sell it. This new team isn't there yet. They need time and experience together .. as a team. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the organization will afford them that time. But again .. I could be wrong on that part. We'll see. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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